1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor and a fabricating method thereof wherein a source/drain region and a gate electrode are formed from the same layer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Compared to an amorphous silicon thin film transistor (hereinafter abbreviated TFT), a polycrystalline silicon TFT has a high mobility of electrons and holes and can be used as a CMOS TFT. Accordingly, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated LCD) having polycrystalline silicon TFTs has a structure such that both a driver and a pixel array are formed on a glass substrate.
When polycrystalline silicon TFTs are used to form a driver, switching operations of the LCD at a fast frequency is possible because of the characteristics of polycrystalline silicon. However, when polycrystalline silicon TFTs are fabricated on a pixel array in an LCD, the characteristics of the image is deteriorated by the high drain current of the off-states due to the characteristics of polycrystalline silicon.
More recently, in order to reduce the off-current in a pixel array to a proper level, TFTs having a lightly doped drain (hereinafter abbreviated LDD) structure, an offset structure, or the like, have been used in the related art.
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a TFT according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 1, a buffer oxidation layer 13 is formed on an insulated substrate 11, and an active layer 15 of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the buffer oxidation layer 13. In a predetermined portion of the active layer 15, a gate insulating layer 17 and a gate electrode 19 are formed, wherein the channel region is in the middle of the active layer 15 and the length of the gate electrode 19 is shorter than that of the gate insulating layer 17.
The sides of the active layer 15 extending beyond the gate electrode 19 are doped with n- or p- type impurities. The region of the active layer that also extends beyond gate insulating layer 17 becomes a source region 21 and a drain region 22, doped heavily with impurities. The region of the active layer that extends beyond the gate electrode, but not beyond the gate insulating electrode, becomes a lightly doped region 23 that forms an LDD. The portion of the active layer that lies between the LDD regions becomes a channel region 15.
An insulating interlayer 25 of silicon oxide or silicon nitride is formed over the entire surface of the above structure. First contact holes 27 exposing the source and drain regions 21 and 22 are formed in the insulating interlayer 25. Source and drain electrodes 29 and 30, connected electrically to the source and drain regions 21 and 22, are then formed in the first contact holes 27.
A passivation layer 31 consisting of silicon oxide is formed on the insulating interlayer 25 to cover the source and drain electrodes 29 and 30. A second contact hole 33 exposing the drain electrode 30 is then formed in the passivation layer 31. A pixel electrode 35 is connected electrically to the exposed drain electrode 22 through the second contact hole 33 formed in the passivation layer 31. In this case, the pixel electrode 35 is made of a substance which is transparent and electrically conductive such as indium-tin oxide (hereinafter abbreviated ITO), tin oxide (hereinafter abbreviated TO), or the like.
FIGS. 2A to 2E show cross-sectional views of the fabrication of the TFT according to a related art. Referring to FIG. 2A, a buffer oxidation layer is formed on a transparent insulated substrate 11, such as glass or and the like, by depositing silicon oxide by chemical vapor deposition (hereinafter abbreviated CVD). An active layer 15 is formed by deposition of amorphous silicon on the buffer oxidation layer 13, followed by dehydration and crystallization. The buffer oxidation layer 13 of this embodiment is then annealed by a laser, thereby preventing the active layer 15 from being penetrated by the impurities in the insulated substrate 11. Next, the active layer 15 is patterned by photolithography so that the photoresist remains on a predetermined portion of the buffer oxidation layer 13.
In the above step, the active layer 15 may be formed by depositing polycrystalline silicon at low temperature instead of by deposition, dehydration and crystallization of amorphous silicon.
Referring to FIG. 2B, an insulating substance such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, is deposited on the buffer oxidation layer 13 by CVD to cover the active layer 15. Next, metal such as aluminum (Al) or molybdenum (Mo), or the like, is deposited on the insulating substance.
A photoresist pattern 20 remaining on a portion corresponding to the middle part of the active layer 15 is defined by coating the metal with photoresist and by exposing and developing the photoresist. Next, a gate electrode 19 and a gate insulating layer 17 are formed by patterning the metal and the insulating substance using the photoresist pattern as a mask.
In preferred embodiments, the gate electrode 19 and the gate insulating layer 17 are formed by anisotropically etching the metal and the insulating substance to expose the active layer 15 and by selectively overetching the metal to expose both side surfaces of the gate insulating layer 17. Thus the length of the gate electrode 19 is shorter than that of the gate insulating layer 17.
Referring to FIG. 2C, the photoresist pattern 20 is removed, and source and drain regions 21 and 22 and a lightly doped region 23 are formed by doping the active layer 15 with n-type impurities such as phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), or the like, using of the gate electrode 19 as a mask, with high dose and low energy ion implantation and with low dose and high energy ion implantation, respectively. In this case, the source and drain regions 21 and 22 are formed on exposed portions of the active layer 15 that extend beyond the gate insulating layer 17, while the lightly doped region 23 is formed where the gate insulating layer 17 overlaps the active layer 15.
Referring to FIG. 2D, an insulating interlayer 25 is formed by depositing insulating substance, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, on the entire surface of the above structure. Next, first contact holes 27 exposing the source and drain regions 21 and 22 are formed by removing predetermined portions of the insulating interlayer 25 by conventional photolithography and etching.
Metal, such as Al, or the like, is deposited on the insulating interlayer 25 to contact the source and drain regions 21 and 22 by filling up the first contact holes 27. Source and drain electrodes 29 and 30, connected electrically to the source and drain regions 21 and 22, are formed by patterning the metal to remain inside the first contact holes 27 by photolithography and etching.
Referring to FIG. 2E, a passivation layer 31 is formed on the insulating interlayer 25 by CVD of an insulating substance such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, to cover the source and drain electrodes 29 and 30. Then, a second contact hole 33, exposing the drain electrode 30, is formed by removing a predetermined portion of the passivation layer 31 by photolithography and etching.
Next, a pixel electrode 35, connected electrically to the exposed drain electrode 22 through the second contact hole 33, is formed on the passivation layer 31 by depositing and patterning a substance which is transparent and electrically conductive. For example, a substance such as ITO or the like, may be used.
The TFT according to the related art has a top-gate structure because (1) the gate electrode is formed to expose both sides of the gate insulating layer, (2) the source and drain regions are formed in the exposed portions of the active layer with no gate insulating layer and (3) the lightly doped regions are formed in another portion overlapped with the gate insulating layer by implanting impurities into the active layer using the gate electrode as a mask. Accordingly, the TFT requires 6 masks for patterning the active layer, the gate insulating layer, the first contact holes, the source and drain electrodes, the second contact hole and the pixel electrode.
A problem in manufacturing a TFT according to the related art is that it requires a complicated process, because the source/drain electrodes and the gate electrode are formed using different masks. The process, therefore, becomes complicated due to the increased number of masks and the planarization degree decreases.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a thin film transistor and a fabricating method thereof that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
The object of the present invention is to provide a TFT which improves the degree of planarization, because source/drain electrodes and a gate electrode are formed by patterning the same layer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a TFT which reduces the steps of fabrication by patterning a gate electrode and source/drain electrodes with a single mask.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention includes an insulated substrate which is transparent; a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on the insulated substrate, the source and drain electrodes separated each other; a gate electrode formed between the source and drain electrodes on the insulated substrate; a gate insulating layer covering the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode on the gate insulating layer; an active layer on the gate insulating layer wherein source and drain regions are formed at both ends of the active layer corresponding to the gate electrode and wherein a channel region is formed between the source and drain regions; a passivation layer on the gate insulating layer, the passivation layer covering the active layer; first and second contact holes exposing the source and drain regions and the source and drain electrodes, respectively; a first wire on a predetermined part of the passivation layer, the first wire electrically connecting the source region to the source electrode through the first contact hole; and a second wire on another predetermined part of the passivation layer, the second wire electrically connecting the drain region to the drain electrode through the second contact hole.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes the steps of depositing a metal on an insulated substrate which is transparent; forming source and drain electrodes and a gate electrode by patterning the metal wherein the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode are separated one another electrically; forming a gate insulating layer on the insulated substrate, wherein the gate insulating layer covers the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes; forming an active layer between the source and drain electrodes on the gate insulating layer; coating the gate insulating layer and the active layer with photoresist; defining a photoresist pattern by exposing the active layer by back exposure through the substrate and subsequent development of the photoresist; forming source and drain regions by doping the exposed portion of the active layer with impurities using the photoresist pattern as a mask; removing the photoresist pattern; forming a passivation layer on the gate insulating layer; forming first contact holes exposing the source and drain regions and second contact holes exposing the source and drain electrodes by patterning the passivation layer and the gate insulating layer; and forming first and second wires connecting the source and drain regions electrically to the source and drain electrodes through the first and second contact holes, respectively.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes the steps of depositing a metal on an insulated substrate which is transparent; forming source and drain electrodes and a gate electrode by patterning the metal using a single mask, wherein the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode are separated from one another electrically; forming a gate insulating layer on the insulated substrate, wherein the gate insulating layer covers the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes; forming an amorphous silicon layer on the gate insulating layer; coating the amorphous silicon layer with photoresist; defining a photoresist pattern that remains on regions corresponding to the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes by back exposure through the substrate and development of the photoresist; doping exposed portions of the amorphous silicon layer with a heavy dose of impurity ions; removing the photoresist pattern; forming an active layer by crystallizing the amorphous silicon layer and forming source and drain regions by activating the impurity ions; forming a passivation layer on the gate insulating layer that covers the active layer; forming first contact hole that expose the source and drain regions and second contact holes that expose the source and drain electrodes by patterning the passivation layer and the gate insulating layer; and forming first and second wires connecting the source and drain regions electrically to the source and drain electrodes through the first and second contact holes, respectively.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention includes the steps of depositing metal on an insulated substrate which is transparent; forming source and drain electrodes and a gate electrode by patterning the metal with a single mask, wherein the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode are separated from one another electrically; forming a gate insulating layer on the insulated substrate, wherein the gate insulating layer covers the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes; forming an active layer between the source and drain electrodes on the gate insulating layer; coating the gate insulating layer and the active layer with photoresist; defining a photoresist pattern so that photoresist remains on regions corresponding to the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode by exposure and development of the photoresist; forming first contact holes that expose both ends of the active layer and second contact holes exposing the source and drain electrodes using the photoresist pattern as a mask; exposing a portion of the passivation layer which extends beyond the gate electrode by back exposure through the substrate and development using the gate electrode and the source and drain electrodes as masks; forming source and drain regions and a lightly doped region in the active layer using the passivation layer and the photoresist pattern as masks, respectively; removing the photoresist pattern; forming a passivation layer on the gate insulating layer; forming first contact holes that expose the source and drain regions and second contact holes that expose the source and drain electrodes; and forming first and second wires connecting the source and drain regions electrically to the source and drain electrodes through the first and second contact holes, respectively.